HXH Drowning!
by SilverExorcist405
Summary: Gon and Killua are both having nightmares, and strange things are happening around them. As events escalate, they realize that they are being followed. Who dares hide in the shadows? And, when all seems lost, will the two friends be able to push through to save each other? SEQUEL TO HUNTER X HUNTER UNLEASHED! Enjoy! Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

SEQUEL TO HXH Unleashed! by popular demand. I had a lot of ideas come in from everybody, so I'm combining a little bit of everything so this should turn out really great...The Queen of Cliffhangers and The Queen of Sad Stories that End All Right in the End returns! Enjoy everybody! (prepare yourself for tears, 'cause I know I've already shed some from writing this stuff.)

* * *

Killua gulped for air.

The waves of crimson consume him. They roll, swallowing him in a tidal wave of red.

He is drowning. Drowning in blood.

Fear grips his heart. He reaches out his arm, fighting the devilish currents, to get air, to breath.

To live.

But he knows he can't be strong enough. As he quickly starts to loose more oxygen, Killua's flailing dies down. He closes his frantic blue eyes, coughing and convulsing on blood. That metallic taste so strong in his mouth...it'll never leave.

Suddenly someone grabs his hand.

Killua keeps his eyes closed, but wonders who it could possibly be that would wade into a sea of blood to save someone like _him. _

Finally he can't control his curiosity. He opens his eyes right as he is flung onto a pale sandy shore.

It had been a boy, about his age, with raven black hair and wide, honest brown eyes.

The boy had saved him.

Killua looked at the bloody ocean.

The boy who was his savior had not come out yet.

The ocean needed a sacrifice, needed someone to drown.

It had been Killua, but now it was that boy.

And the boy's name flew from Killua's lips, because of course he knew who that boy was.

"GON!"

And then everything went black and then Killua was being shaken, shaken awake.

"Killua! Hey, wake up Killua! You're having a nightmare, okay? Just wake up already!" whined a voice.

"Stop shaking me..." murmured Killua. Peeling his eyes open, he stared directly into round hazel ones, full of concern.

Gon stopped shaking him and sat back on his feet. Killua rubbed his eyes tiredly. Sitting up, he faced his friend.

"What was the dream about?"

The question was honest and simple. There was no getting around it.

Killua glanced at his friend. Gon fidgeted, as if he was the one who had a nightmare, not Killua. From experience, he wouldn't be able to sleep in peace again until he told his friend.

"I was drowning in a sea of blood, but somebody pulled me out."

Quick, to the point, and without mentioning Gon was in it. Killua should be proud of himself for such a good, mystic answer. Instead he felt the bitter tang of guilt.

Gon didn't press him. He knew that Killua had his own secrets, things he kept to himself, things that he didn't want Gon to know. Gon sighed.

"I had a nightmare too."

And with that, he returned to his bed on the other side of the room. Killua hesitated. _Gon _had had _a nightmare_?

Little did Killua know that Gon had nightmares all the time, nightmares where he woke up in a cold sweat or clutching the sheets.

Nightmares where Killua was leaving him.

Nightmares where he met Ging but was told he wasn't strong enough.

Nightmares where he couldn't do anything to help his friends.

Gon stared up at the ceiling. Biting his curiosity, Killua closed his and fell back to bed.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"What was it about?"

At these words Gon stiffened, then relaxed. He was about to answer, when a sudden tautness in his throat caught on his words. His dream, it flooded through him in that moment, enclosing him...

_Gon gulped for air._

_He was running, running through a forest._

_Running for the cries for help he heard, so faintly, so far away. He needed to help that person. He needed to help that person. He needed to be faster. He need to help..._

_"KILLUA! HANG IN THERE KILLUA!"_

_He screamed, but the pleas for help only became fainter. They were fading. They were dying..._

_Gon ran so fast blood began to run down his legs and blisters burst in firey blossoms of pain and crimson. He gasped for breath, sweat running down his face in rivulets._

_The stench of blood wafted through the air. Gon felt himself choking, slipping on the moist pine needles beneath him._

_He wasn't fast enough._

_He wasn't going to make it in time._

_He caught sight of Killua, blue eyes frantic, pleading._

_Dying._

Gon took a deep breath in as he was released from the waking dream. Shutting his eyes, he shook his head to get rid of the sight. He wasn't good at lying, especially not to Killua, so he would just have to play Killua's game.

"I was running to save somebody, but I couldn't make it in time."

Short and sweet, vague, not a lie and no names said. Gon let out a sigh, of guilt or relief he did not know.

Silence pervaded the hotel room.

Killua was about to say something when he heard a short gasp from his friend. Sitting up, Killua stared at his friend, eyes widening.

The edges of Gon's lips frothed with foam, and his face was paler than the white sheets he clutched. Gon's eyes were closed, but they quickly flew open, shimmering in pain. All of his veins popped out in agony, and his neck strained as if he was choking.

In less than a heartbeat, Killua was by Gon's side, screaming his name. Gon stared frantically at his friend. Fear, stark naked in his eyes. Killua had seen it many times before, but not inside the honest, brown eyes of his friend.

Killua didn't know what to do. He let Gon grip his hand, and he didn't wince when he felt Gon break his pinky finger from his tight hold. Killua tried to calm him down, to no avail. Gon shut his eyes tightly, and finally he screamed. The scream was almost in coherent, but Killua could almost just barely pick up the scratching of words midst the brutal anguish. _KILLUA! HANG IN THEIR KILLUA!_

Gon's legs began twitching violently, writhing in pain. Killua shouted as he saw blood seep through the sheets. Throwing back the covers, he uncovered raw blisters.

Where had Gon gotten blisters?

Suddenly, Gon lay still.

Tearing his gaze from Gon's legs, Killua clutched his friend's hand and stared at his friend's face. Twisted in agony, up turned.

But his chest rose and fell.

He was breathing.

He was alive.

Kilua matched his breathing to that of his friends, just now realizing that he hadn't been breathing before. Sweat poured down Gon's face, and Killua's own forehead dripped with the salty moisture.

Gon's eyes fluttered open, fear still quivering in his hazel eyes. Trembling, he glanced around quickly until his eyes finally rested on the worried face of his friend.

"Killua...you're alright..."

His voice was a whisper.

"Idiot! You're the one that's the mess! Hey Gon...Gon!"

Gon's eyes had started to roll into the back of his head, but he was pulled back by the pressing sound of his friends voice.

"Look at me Gon. Look. At. Me."

Gon's blurry vision focused obediently. Killua's eyes, calm and blue, not frantic, not fearful.

Not dying.

Gon blinked.

The second time he had dreamed wasn't like anything he had ever felt before.

It was as if he was actually running, and his legs were actually glistening with blood. It had been so...

So real.

Gon blinked again as his gaze slowly left Killua and down at his legs.

Blood.

The smell hit him, clogging his nose.

Blood.

On the bed.

On his legs.

Blood.

Gon wheezed.

"Gon! Calm down. Look at me! Hey! Look at me Gon!"

Gon slowly turned his head to the assuring sound of Killua's voice.

"Killua..." he murmured and then finally he fell unconscious.

Killua shook, still grasping Gon's hand.

He had sensed the thin threads of aura floating off of Gon's forehead and sinking with Gon's eyes. The blood that glistened on his legs was no illusion. The blisters burned, real. Yet Killua took in deep breathes as he felt the tendrils of aura. Their purpose was unmistakable.

Someone had been controlling Gon's dreams with nen.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys! I hope you liked that last one...Please review!

* * *

When Gon finally woke up, he immediately tried to rub his eyes. His right hand made it up to his face, but his left hand met opposition. Glancing down, he found Killua slumped over his stomach, firmly grasping his hand. His soft breathing was comforting and warm, and Gon smiled at his sleeping friend.

The smile melted away when he remembered his dream.

Just over the tufts of Killua's hair, Gon could see the blood, the bandages, the blisters.

That had been no dream.

Yawning in the big way only he can, Gon sighed ever so slightly. He wasn't going to wake Killua up, but he wasn't going to fall back asleep. So he lay there, eyes studying the ceiling, until a bleary eyed Killua slowly peeled his head off of his chest.

The two friends stared at each other, images of what had happened before flashed through their minds. Gon cracked a weak smile, and was rewarded with a swipe to the head.

"Don't go smiling, you idiot! I thought you were dying! Anyway, we need to go to the hospital to patch you up."

Killua suddenly realized he was still holding Gon's hand, and blushed as he quickly pulled away. His pinky flared with pain, though nobody could tell because of his poker face.

"Yeah, and we need somebody to help your broken pinky. I'm sorry about that, by the way."

Gon looked away as he said the last bit, but Killua was more surprised that Gon had even noticed his pinky was broken. Killua marveled at how Gon could see right through the smooth, cool facade he threw up every time he felt pain.

So Killua smiled, and suggested that they both change cloths to go to the hospital.

Grimacing, Gon sat up and then attempted to get out of bed. Splitting pain ran down his legs, and he yelped, falling back with a thud onto the bed. Groaning, he peeked out of his closed eyes to see a worried expression on Killua's face.

"You're not walking anywhere, let alone changing clothes." Came his stern reply. Whenever Killua got like this, he always reminded Gon of Mito-san. Gon moaned, but then smiled. Closing his eyes again, he enjoyed the darkness.

Gently hands wrapped around his waist, and his eyes flew open. Killua carefully slung him over his shoulder, but after a bit of squirming, Gon managed to turn it into a piggy back ride. This way he could talk directly into Killua's ear.

Killua didn't mind.

At first, anyway.

"O my gosh Killua look at that lemondae stand! That thing is HUGE..."

"Killua, look! There's a man that looks like Hisoka at this angle if you squint!"

"Killua, do you see that? It's an antic shop! and there's old stuff in there...Hey look! They need new hires there too!"

"Killua, can you believe that-"

"BE QUIET FOR FIVE SECONDS!" Killua roared at the friend on his back. People had been staring before at the two, but now all eyes were on them. Blushing, Killua went full speed to the hospital.

After exactly five seconds, Gon asked him a question. By that time they were already in front of the hospital doors, but Killua stopped when he heard the honest voice of his friend.

"Could you tell what I was dreaming about?"

It was as if Gon didn't want Killua to know what it had been. And of course, Killua could guess what it was about. It had been that same dream Gon himself had told him about. he one where he was running and he wasn't fast enough to save a friend.

But judging by the tone in Gon's voice, it seemed more about the people that were in the dream rather than what the dream itself was about. And Killua had several guesses, based on that high pitched, barely audible scream Gon had let loose while going through the ordeal.

It had been about him that Gon couldn't save.

Killua nodded his head, wishing that he could see his friend's expression as he continued through the hospital doors. Gon's breath on his neck stopped for a moment, then resumed, steady and warm.

When the nurses and doctors had stopped fussing over them and Gon could finally walk again, they left the building. Gon looked almost as good as new if not for the white bandages clearly visible underneath his green shorts and the dried blood that still stained his clothes. On the way back to their hotel, Gon continued to point out miscellaneous things that attracted his puerile attention. Killua half ignored him until he finally pointed out something worth looking at.

"Look Killua! A chocolate shop!"

Killua was drooling by the window display in seconds. A chocolate fountain, chocolate balls, chocolate everything. Everywhere. _Chocolate. _

"We're buying everything in this store!" Killua announced, head thrown back heroically. Gon laughed at him, then poked him in the ribs.

"We can't do that, silly! We couldn't even afford one chocolate from that place! All our money went to treating our wounds at the hospital!"

At this, Killua fell to his knees on the ground, staring into his hands and at the new cast on his pinky. Tears brimmed at his eyes.

"W-we ca-can't have-ve choc-co-colate?" he sobbed. Gon smiled and tackled him.

"Nope!"

A fire suddenly alighted in Killua's eyes.

"I'm going to get you for being so mean!" he shrieked. A tickling war insued on the sidewalk. They nearly hit several innocents who were walking by and staring as the two ruffians wrestled in front of the chocolate shop.

Killua punched a vicotrious finger into the air as he sat on top of Gon who had had the disadvantage because of his legs. Giving a vindictive jab with his thumb, Gon managed to dislodged Killua from his back.

Gon suddenly saw the antic shop again. He remembered staring at it from his perch on Killua's back not long ago, but now he considered it. The "Help Needed" sign and the dusty figurines in the window gave him an idea.

When they got back to the hotel room, it was almost evening. Killua rubbed his eyes, exhausted. He never remembered being this tired.

Flopping down on the bed that wasn't soaked through with blood, Killua closed his eyes. When he realized that Gon showed no signs of bunking down for the night, he cracked an eye open.

Gon was fidgeting and glancing at the door.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" asked Killua tiredly.

Gon nodded.

"Where?"

Gon shook his head.

Killua sat up, running his head through all the places that Gon would want to go at a time like this. Shoot, he should have paid more attention...

"Go to sleep, I won't be long." Gon said. He was confident and sure. Killua didn't doubt him for a second.

So when he felt himself drifting off into slumber once more and then the soft click of the lock, Killua wasn't too terribly worried.

When Killua woke up the next day, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Glancing around the room, he saw Gon sprawled out on the floor next to him, soundly snoring. Killua off handedly wondered where he went.

Curiousity started as an ember and than roared into a raging fire. Killua _had _to know where Gon went.

When Gon finally woke up, Killua non nonchalantly asked him where he had gone last night. Gon stiffened.

"Nowhere."

Killua face-palmed. How much more obvious do you get?

"Seriously, don't worry about it Killua." floated Gon's voice, small and full of comfort.

Killua raised an eyebrow.

He _would _find out.

The next several nights Gon would disappear only to resurface around three o'clock in the morning. Killua would always wake up when his friend came in, not matter how stealthy he was. He could just tell when Gon was around.

Gon was now barely getting three or four hours a sleep a day. Gon didn't show it, however. He was still his chipper self as always, willing to do anything fun with Killua that day. But Killua noticed all the same, the weariness that dragged at his friends feet and pulled down on his smile.

A Killua noticed something else about Gon too, something far more surprising. He saw bruises and cuts, around Gon's neck and wrists, sometimes even his thighs above his bandages. Whenever he tried to mention them to Gon, he would smile and say that he ran into something. Gon can't lie well at all, Killua would think. Concern laced his thoughts for his friend.

Killua finally couldn't take it any longer.

When Gon left, Killua pretended to go to sleep. As soon as Gon was far enough, Killua went into Zetsu and followed, his movements so skilled that not even a cricket would realize the dark shadow passing by.

He followed Gon through the streets of the city, down a dark alleyway until they came upon an antic shop. Killua remembered Gon pointing it out. Their had been a "Help Needed" sign before.

Now there was nothing but dusty figurines in the window.

Gon entered the shop. Killua slipped in before the door could close, escaping detection. Gon walked straight through the store to the back. There was a door and a big, old grandfather clock ticking next to it. Killua heard a a muffled noise, though he couldn't quite hear what it was. Gon took a deep breath in and let it out.

Suddenly the grandfather struck the hour, its chimes lucid and loud. Gon rolled his shoulders slightly, then taking another deep breath, he opened the door.

A beaming light fell on him as he walked out into the obstreperous roar of a huge crowd, cheering, screaming, shrieking all the same word.

"CHAMPION! CHAMPION! CHAMPION!"

Killua stared in shock through the door as he watched his friend walk towards an arena in the middle of the mass of waving fans. An announcers voice boomed.

"AND HERE COMES OUR REIGNING CHAMPION...GON FREECS!"

The crowd went wild. Killua caught sight of another brawny man waiting in the arena, teeth bared. But before Killua could see more, the door slowly closed, shutting off the sight of his friend slowly walking towards the arena, bathed in the spotlight.

So it was an underground fighting arena.

Killua was breathing heavily. Looking around the shop, he found another entrance to the fight. He sneaked past the guard that collected money easily and watched on as Gon made his way down the runway.

Judging from the overly muscled man in the small square arena, Killua judged that Gon would have this fight over in a few deft moments. But why was Gon doing this in the first place?

Gon stepped into the arena. The crowd erupted. Killua sat, alone, the only one not cheering for one of the two fighters.

The man lunged at him immediately. Gon deftly side stepped and punched him in the gut. The man flew back into the crowd. Another burly man stepped into the arena to take his place.

So whoever wanted to challenge him could, at any moment. Gon took his time with this one, as if to give others hope. Maybe he was being paid for how many he defeated?

After Gon's thirteenth defeat and the crowd still going strong, the competitors against the "champion" finally seemed like they were giving up. But Killua noticed that Gon was only getting more tense now.

Suddenly, the announcer's voice boomed once more.

"ALRIGHT FOLKS! THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! FREE FOR ALL STARTS...NOW!"

Suddenly four men were attacking Gon at the same time. He weaved in and out of them, punching and kicking, but Killua could tell that he was in pain. The old wounds from the dream were still bothering him, after all.

More men joined the fight. Gon knocked them down, fluid and precise. When no one was left standing accept Gon, the crowd roared once more. This the moment they had been waiting for, of course. They all wanted to see their champion destroy these puny fighters.

Killua had a sudden urge to pull down his hoody and challenge Gon himself. The more he though about it, the better it sounded, until he suddenly was on the arena floor. The bodies of the defeated men had already been pulled out of the way. It was just him and Gon now.

Killua couldn't tell if Gon recognised him or not. Gon's eyes only widened when he had flown onto the arena. Killua pulled his hoody lower, concealing his face.

Suddenly Gon broke his fighting stance, sniffing the air. Killua's own eyes widened underneath the shadows. O crap, he'll recognize the scent.

Killua jumped backwards, but it was already too late. Gon was behind him, waiting for him.

"Why did you follow me?" he whispered, before he kicked Killua's foot right as he was about to land. The blow didn't hurt at all, in fact it was very childish and minor, but it had enough force and technique behind it that it sent Killua flying out of the arena.

Killua landed on his feet. Gon wouldn't fight him. Killua didn't even know why he had actually entered the arena. He just wanted to know what on earth Gon was doing here.

Killua slumped and exited the screaming mob, the cheering of "CHAMPION! CHAMPION!" fading in his ears.

As Killua walked out of the antic shop, shame engulf him. He stumbled, but was caught by a hand. Killua turned around.

"Thanks Gon..."

But the words died on his lips as he came face to face with a dark haired man with slick, green eyes.

"Hello there." he said.

Suddenly, everything went back before Killua could flee.

He had recognized this man's aura. It was that same aura that had curled off of Gon during his nightmare.

This man...Killua thought. The darkness swirled around him.

When he lost consciousness, the man looked behind him at the antic store smiling.

"We'll see what your friend does now." he whispered smoothly, then gave a short chuckle.

This was going to be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi guys! Please review with your thoughts! I take EVERYTHING into consideration when I write my chapters, so please keep up with the in put. It is much appreciated! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Gon closed the door to the antic store behind him and leaned against it's cool, comforting surface.

Of course, he knew that Killua would probably follow him at some point. But why, _why, _had he entered into that arena?

Gon shook his head. It had been apparent that Killua hadn't wanted to fight. Not a serious one, at least.

But their was a speck of doubt that clung to him, like a survivor from a shipwreck clinging on to a jagged stone of knowledge a midst a roaring sea of his friendship.

And he hated it. That doubt was poison in his veins. It clung and clung and clung...

Gon threw it out the window like it was nothing.

Killua would never hurt him. What was he even thinking? That was just something stupid, something that Killua himself had rubbed onto him: suspicion. Gon bowed his head and let out a long breath. Something Killua himself had rubbed off on him, huh? Well than it must not be that bad.

Gon looked up and stared out at the abandoned street swallowed by a thousand shadows. It was getting cold, and a bitter wind bit at his wounded legs. The breeze made his nostrils flare, taking in the scents of trash and asphalt and...

Fear.

Gon froze as he was about to walk down the sidewalk.

Fear.

His eyes widened. His heartbeat skipped and leaped inside his chest, pounding. He could barely hear the whispers of a plastic bag being blown down the road, thrown up and down by the air.

Fear.

It wasn't just any fear. It was the smell of fear that he recognized from only a few moments in his life, but moments he would never forget. He would never forget that smell either.

The fear of a friend.

And it was one friend in particular.

One that not moment's ago he had been thinking about.

Killua.

And less than a second he was running, nose to the sky, following the scent on the wavering air. Fresh and lucid, like a pathway leading to his friend.

A pathway to Killua.

Gon felt himself running so fast his bandages where starting to just slightly peel off. He grimaced, but did not slow down. Not when his friend was in danger.

Not when Killua as afraid.

It was then that he felt a vibration in his pocket. It was his cellphone. Skidding to a halt, Gon took it out. The caller was from Killua's cellphone.

Answer the phone with fumbling speed, because of course he was nervous, Gon slapped the device to his ear, listening with trained ears for any sound on the other end.

Nothing.

No noise at all.

Complete silence.

And then came the laughter.

It was cold and humorless, crafty and untrustworthy. Dead sounding. It didn't even sound like laughter. Gon could just barely tell the difference between the unamused chuckling and a hoarse cough not easily gotten rid of. The noise was like the scrapping of claws on a chalkboard to Gon, and he winced.

"Well, well, well. Killua's friend has decided to answer. Tell me, did you enjoy your nightmare?"

Gon seethed, but somehow managed to control his voice for about two seconds to be calm. That's when he erupted.

"You..YOU TOOK KILLUA! GIVE HIM BACK! HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG! WHERE IS HE? WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?! GIVE HIM BACK!"

Then came the unamused chuckling, the lifeless laughter.

"Well, if I tell you where we are, it would be pointless because you can already find us. And yes, he has done _many _things wrong. And as to what I'm doing to him...let's just say he was begging me to stop almost a few moments ago."

Gon stood, silent. Trembling. With rage? With fear? With worry?

He was probably trembling because of all of them.

His voice dropped down, low and cold. Gon didn't even recognize his own voice. He breathed in, out, in...

"_What have you done to Killua?_"

Gon was given his reply in the form of silence.

The phone line went dead.

Gon roared, and then thrust the phone into his pocket wishing that he could instead through it as hard as he could into the dark night.

Sprinting, Gon ran after the twisting scent of fear.

He would not let his nightmare become a reality.

* * *

Killua's eyes fluttered open.

It was still dark, and when he took a deep breath in, he tasted the tangy gnawing of poison gas.

This gas was of no concern to him. Countless hours of torture had assured to that.

Killua looked around him. His arms where chained by large, iron bands encircled with powerful nen. Killua couldn't even budge. The same was true for his legs. He couldn't move very much at all.

Killua blinked. In front of him spread out a huge field, plain and dusty. It wasn't terribly long, maybe the length of a football field. The large dusty plain was flanked by large, stony walls. A white strip of paint crossed the plain about ten feet away from him. Killua was reminded of a finish line.

It was like sitting at the head of a table where no one sat and no food wafted tempting and delicious smells.

It was then that Killua was jerked roughly into reality. He had been kidnapped by that man with slimy, dark hair and glistening green eyes. That man...

That man could control nightmares. He had done awful things to Gon, made him go through so much pain, both mentally and physically...

Killua silently seethed for a few moments, before he began to think more about Gon.

Why was he fighting in an underground battle arena? What could have possibly possessed him to do such a thing? And without telling his best friend to boot!

Killua sighed, and then realized he wasn't alone.

The person was behind him, out of sight. But the presence stepped forward and whispered into his ear.

"Your friend believes everything you tell him. How convenient, am I right?"

That voice, smooth and silky, laced with danger. Killua didn't know why, but it reminded him of Illumni's voice. A sudden image of Illumni plunging a needle into Gon's chest flashed in his mind. Daggers sprouting from Gon. Blood, everywhere.

Shaking the image from his head, Killua took a deep breath in as the nightmare nen user slipped into his vision.

Those same, glimmering eyes, twinkling. That slick hair. That angular, hawk like face.

It hit home to Killua that this man was a killer. Someone who didn't hesitate from taking a life. Someone like the person he had been before he met Gon.

"What did you tell him?" Killua whispered, voice thinly controlling the rage that bubbled up inside of him. The man smiled, accept that it lacked every characteristic of a smile. It was dead and lifeless. Just like his laugh and words.

Dead.

Lifeless.

The words drove through Killua, cold and true, like black spears.

"I told him you were begging for me to stop what I was doing to you. You haven't yet, but you will."

Killua said nothing. He had endured many tortures before from his family. This would be no different.

"Well, now for the torture to begin."

The man with green eyes slid to Killua's side, staring into his pale blue eyes.

"I trust you've already realized the poison gas drifting through here. You maybe immune to it, but your friend is not. I know he can hold his breath for a long time, up to about ten minutes as I'm to believe, so this entire set up should work out nicely. You see, this plain before you is actually an obstacle course. He'll be forced to do it, in front of your eyes. And he'll die, right there in front of you, from either the course or the gas, and you'll lose him."

Killua remained silent.

"After you lose him, you'll be so mad that you'll revert to your assassin self. And with Gon lost forever, you will see no choice but to return home to the Zoldyck Estate."

Killua's eyes widened.

"You see, I can't just control nightmares, I can see them inside of people. Your worst fears are the ones I just said. You fear loosing Gon, you fear of becoming an assassin again, you fear returning home. All these things you fear, deep in your heart. I can see them."

Killua blinked in shock. No, this couldn't possibly be happening. Gon was coming. Of course he was.

He was coming to his death.

* * *

Gon knew it was a trap.

He knew it before he had finished his phone call from Killua's kidnapper.

He knew it only too well.

When he smelled poisonous gas up ahead, he decided to wait to the last minute to begin holding his breath. And suddenly, Gon saw him, hanging there, across a dusty plain and a white painted line.

"Gon. My name is Jenkins. I think you should listen to me if you want to get your friend back."

Gon recognized the dull, bland tone from before and tensed, smoothly sliding into a fighting stance.

Killua was staring straight at him. There was a bloody slash on his cheek, although he was ignoring it. Gon breathed in deeply at the sight of him.

A man with dark, shiny hair and bright, gleaming green eyes blocked his view. So this was Killua's kidnapper. He's the one who started this whole thing.

"Get across this white line and you can have him back. But first, you have to go..."

Jenkins circled around Killua, taking out aknife and slashing his other cheek. Gon growled and started run towards him, but immediatly jumped back as he felt the ground vibrate. Suddenly, a huge, black spike shot up out the ground where he had been not milliseconds before.

"...you have to pass through this entire obstacle course. Since you can only hold your breath for so long, you do have your own time limit. If you skip any of the obstacles, I kill him. If you hesitate, I cut him. Those are the rules. Have fun."

Gon nodded. His legs burned, and blood slithered out from under his bandages and down his shaking legs. Trembling slightly, he closed his eyes for a few moments to keep his breath in check. He couldn't breath or he'd take in the poisonous gas that whirled through the air.

"Gon. Get out of here. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You need to get out of here. Right now. Leave."

Gon could hear his friend from across the plain. Gon looked at him. Killua stared straight back. Gon, so honest, his eyes...though Killua. His eyes so bright and brown, yet so far away...He needs to leave.

Gon broke his gaze and stared down at the ground, trembling even more pronounced.

And for a moment Killua thought that he would listen to him. That he would actually turn around and walk away.

"WHY THE_ HELL _WOULD I DO THAT?! YOU THINK I'D LEAVE MY BEST FRIEND! OF COURSE I'M SAVING YOU KILLUA!"

The scream was loud, hoarse, edged in pain and determination. Killua stared at his friend, slightly shocked, then feeling stupid. Of course Gon wasn't leaving him. Of course Gon was going to try and save him, even though it was obvious that he was in pain.

Of course Gon wouldn't listen to him.

Gon jumped forward, sprinting as fast as he could to Killua. He sensed the spikes coming, and dodged them before they jutted up from the ground. They came at a predictable rhythm, and Gon weaved skillfully through the maze of spikes.

Suddenly, a spike sprouted behind him. It was out of the rhythm, and Gon had to twist his body. It cut his bicep, blood streaming down and dripping off his elbow.

"Gon! Leave!"'

Ignoring the concerned shouts of his friends, Gon grunted in pain as he realized what his mistake had caused him. He could still use his arm, but now the spikes had risen as a wall to block his path to Killua.

Leaping over the spikes, Gon sensed what was over them before he even cleared the their pointy tips.

Water.

Gon plunged into the freezing cold ice water. Suddenly a iron cage blocked his path up the surface. He broke it easily. Arrows from all directions suddenly shot towards him.

The water made it difficult to move out of the way in time. Gon felt pain in his calf and in his shoulder as he resurfaced. Looking down, he saw a pool of swirling blood below him.

Rising from the water, he dripped. Hundreds of blades flew towards him, slicing the air with sickening speed and deadly glitters. Dodging, leaping, evading.

It was then that Gon realized he had only made it about third of the way to his friend.

An arrow stuck out of his thigh and another one stuck out of his shoulder. The bandages that covered his wounds were now so bloody and soaking that they flew off from his fast movement. Raw wounds from before spewed blood everywhere.

Sprinting forward, Gon guessed that he had about five minutes left until he couldn't hold his breath anymore.

The ground gave beneath his feet. He leaped from crumbling chunk of earth to crumbling piece with cat like agility. Suddenly fire spat at him from all angles.

There was no avoiding.

So he made the most of it.

He ran straight through the licking flames. Blood sizzled. Heat burned. Gon kept his eyes firmly shut.

Burn.

Burn.

Burn.

At least now his wounds wouldn't bleed as much. His shirt had half burned off. He had lost one of his boots. White hot pain. Everywhere.

All around, heat.

Gon sprinted, eyes squinting. The hair on his legs had been singed off, but the hair on his head had somehow remained unscathed. Burns smeared across him.

Gon focused on the now struggling figure in front of him. Killua couldn't move from his bounds. Absently, Gon thought how powerful the restraints must be.

He was half way now. He could do this.

His vision was being invaded by black spots. It annoyed him. It made it harder to see the rotating knives and the devilish spear raging with scorching nen.

Running.

Jumping.

Dodging.

He guessed he had about a minute left until he couldn't hold his breath anymore. On the other hand, he was only about ten feet away from the white line.

The victory filled into his chest as he stumbled past another volley of arrows. He was covered in blood and burns. He had broken the arrow shafts that stuck out of his calf and his shoulder. He was losing to much blood, he knew. He was holding his breath for too long.

He needed to breath.

Five feet away from the finish line.

Black dots flew. His feet dragged, but he only had to glance up tiredly to see Killua's face.

Killua's face.

Three feet away from the finish line. One more step. Willing his feet to move, Gon took the step...

A fist flew out of no where and slammed into his cheek. Eyes widened. Blood flew.

Gon was launched off to the side until he hit the stone wall with a sickening crack. His ribs...

Gon crumpled to the ground, but at the last second, propelled himself with his leg forward so that he cross the finish line. He had done it. He had saved Killua. He had...

He had breathed.

In and out. In. Out. In...

Dazed and bleary his vision swam. Darn it, he thought.

Killua suddenly was above him, voice shouting, distant. Gon grabbed Killua's shirt, trying to pull him closer. He didn't want Killua to feel so far away.

"Killua..." he whispered.

"Gon! Gon don't breath! Gon-"

"Listen to me."

Killua immediately closed his mouth, staring attentive to his friend as he cradled him. Gon looked awful, blood soaked and dreary. Almost lifeless.

"...I went to the antic shop to get money, but I didn't know it was a fighting arena... until it was already... signed up. I wanted to earn money... so... that I could take you to that...chocolate...shop..." Gon's voice was so quiet, so fragile, so sincere. Killua felt a tear slide down his cheek.

"What the _hell _Gon? You were risking your life so that I could have chocolate. You idiot."

Killua choked on the last part, sobbing dispite himself.

Jenkins stood behind them, and when Killua heard his smooth voice, he stiffened and held Gon closer.

"This is all your fault, you know."

Gon coughed, barely focusing on Killua. His breathing was ragged, labored, fading. Gon was dying.

"A Zoldyck killed my best friend. Blame yourself for what's happening right now, Killua."

Gon shook his head. His eyes fluttered. Killua breathed in deeply, wishing that he could succumb to that same poison too. Anything but hear those last words fly from Jenkins' mouth.

"If you hadn't let yourself get kidnapped in the first place, Gon wouldn't be dying. Gon is dying _because of you." _

Killua shook his head, pulling Gon closer. Blood was all over his shirt. It was Gon's blood. _Gon's blood. _

"That's what you really fear the most, the worst nightmare of all. That Gon will die _because of you." _

As Gon was closing his eyes for the last time, Killua closed his eyes as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Don't forget to review! I'll update with Chapter 5 as quickly as possible!

* * *

Time stopped. The world held its breath.

The air roared. A sudden movement, down, then up.

A suddenly Killua was flying.

It took him a moment to realize that thick, muscular arms where holding him, and Killua was the only thing holding on to Gon. He clutched his friend closer, frantic.

He wasn't letting Gon go.

His vision was bleary, but he couldn't quite figure out why.

It was only later, when he was trying to clearly see their savior, that he realized that he had been crying.

And Killua did look at their savior when they had arrived at their destination: an abandoned warehouse crawling with shadows and cobwebs. The figure blended with the shadows, hooded and cryptic.

Killua was on his knees beside Gon. Gon was just barely breathing. Killua almost choked when he saw closer how bad his friends condition was.

So bruised, so burned, so bloody.

Suddenly rough hands shoved him out the way, and Killua fell sprawled onto the floor. He blankly stared at the ceiling of ramshackle warehouse.

Gon was dying.

He heard the man doing something, but he couldn't tell what it was. Why?

Because Gon was dying.

And it was because of this that Killua closed his eyes and breathed. It was because his friend was dying that he finally sat up and stared at the man..

It was because of Gon that he did everything he did after that moment when the man shoved him onto that cold, hard floor.

The man was treating Gon with expert maneuvers, smearing salve on his burns and splinting his broken bones. Extracting the arrows from where they were lodged. Bandaging the gaping wounds that spat out crimson.

Doing all the things what Killua should have been doing.

Killua took in deep breaths.

It was all his fault.

Jenkins had been right in that regard. It _was _all his fault. Everything happened because of him, because he didn't trust Gon.

And now Gon was dying.

This was too much like what had happened before, when Illumni had come. Gon had been poisoned then, too. His life was just repeating itself.

But Killua didn't want this to keep repeating. He didn't want Gon to keep brushing death for him. He didn't want Gon to suffer because of him.

He didn't want Gon to have to do anything to protect him.

But at the same time, being protected felt warm to Killua. It was something almost new to him. Something his family had never given to him the same way Gon did.

Killua felt the guilt swallow him, control him. He shook his head. His ears rung.

It was than that Killua recognized the man. He had caught a glimpse of tanned skin, brown eyes, raven hair.

Just like Gon.

Could this man possibly be Ging?

Killua breathed.

Ging?

And then it only came, more and more. The thoughts, the images, the resolve. Heaping up and up.

How could Killua be Gon's friend?

Drenched in shame, he dragged his eyes across Gon's battered body. He was breathing steadily again. He was alive.

Gon was going to be alright.

Relief swept through him. Then came more jarring thoughts.

What will happen the next time?

Will Gon survive a next time?

Killua pinched himself in the thigh, so hard it left a bruise. Of course Gon would survive...

Gon opened his eyes.

Pure yet pained, their hazel depths shimmered.

"Killua..." he choked, coughing slightly. The man stood up, glancing meaningfully over at Killua.

Killua was by Gon in milliseconds. Killua put a hand on Gon's half burned shirt, soaked in blood and water. He felt his friends chest rising and falling. Breathing.

Alive.

"What is it, Gon?" he asked gently. He cared. And it was in that split second that he decided what he was going to do.

And he was going to do it for Gon.

Gon started to sit up, coughing and wheezing slightly. Killua helped him, pulling on his weak, trembling hands. At that moment, Gon seemed so frail. Killua felt like he was helping his friend as if he was made out of glass.

"I think...I'll have to...treat you to chocolate...later..."

If Gon wasn't so severely injured, Killua was sure he would have whacked him one.

But instead he just said that that was okay. He could wait.

The poison had worn off. And then suddenly Killua remembered something, quite out of the blue and unexpected.

Gon had yelled him, hadn't he? Yelled at him, screaming that of course he was saving him.

But then Gon would have had to breath.

Did that mean that Gon had gone through that entire obstacle course with poison in his veins and the previous wounds on his legs?

Killua glanced away from his friend.

Gon stood, wobbling. But soon he was firm, set and standing. Staring.

Staring at the smiling man in front of him.

Of course, Gon recognized him instantly, as if he had known the man all of his life. This man...the man he had only seen in pictures. Only heard of from other mouths. Only known as some distant dream in his mind.

The man he had been searching for for countless days and nights. Countless years. Countless sufferings.

"Ging..." Gon whispered it, the name. The name of his father. _  
_

Ging shrugged.

"You got me."

And it was then that Killua acted.

He sprinted for the doors of the warehouse, feeling tears twinkle.

Soon he was on the streets running through the alleyways. Running as if his life depended on it.

He had to get away from Gon.

And he had made sure that Gon wouldn't follow him. Gon couldn't follow him.

He was too injured. But most of all, Ging was there.

Gon wouldn't leave Ging.

Ging was his father, the father they had been searching for this entire time.

Gon wouldn't come after him.

It almost hurt, knowing this. But Killua kept running anyway.

He would always be running.

It was then that he was running through an especially dark alleyway. It was cold and brimming with blackness. Killua was reminded of himself.

He sensed rather than saw a figure jump down in front of him.

Killua immediately guessed that it was Jenkins. Of course it would be Jenkins, coming here to finish him off.

Not if he could help it anyway.

He was going to make sure Jenkins never made Gon do anything again.

He was going to keep Gon safe.

Killua lunged without a second thought. A fatal blow, he knew. A blow he had done many times before. A blow ingrained in his very being.

So when the figure in front of him, seemed to move as if he knew exactly how Killua was going to finish the job, Killua's eyes widened.

But it was too late for him to do anything. His hand plunged through hot flesh, blood splattering. The blow wasn't quite fatal anymore, but Killua instantly knew that if it wasn't treated very soon it would be.

Despite the darkness, Killua squinted and saw the face he dread to see the most.

And the boy's name flew from Killua's lips, because of course he knew who that boy was.

"GON!"

Gon was smiling ever so slightly, as if amused by the sudden turn of events. Killua took him into his arms and immediately began his running once again.

Except this time he was running towards the hospital, not the pits of darkness and despair that had been his destination before.

"What about Ging?"

He whispered to his friend. This only made Gon smile even more. The truth was Gon was hurting like hell was eating him, but he was with Killua again.

"Ran...fast...to get to...you..." he sighed, happy it seemed. Killua cursed.

"BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR FATHER! You've been searching for who knows how long and your just giving that up for _me_?"

Gon nodded, as if that was the natural thing to do.

"You idiot..." Killua whispered.

Gon tilted his head closer to him.

"You call me that a lot."

Killua scoffed, indignant.

"It's 'cause you are one, idiot!"

And suddenly the air was taught with that menacing nen he knew only too well. Killua skidded to a halt, screaming.

"JENKINS!"

Gon curled up closer to him. Killua held on tight

And then suddenly he was grasping air. His once burdened arms weighed down by nothing but air.

And then the silhouette of the man, the man and his nightmares, holding a whimpering Gon.

"Come and get me."

The monotone voice sliding across Killua like cold water, making him shiver.

And right before the two vanished from Killua's sight, just out of his reach, he saw Gon's eyes. They were brown, pained, and scared.

Gon was afraid.

But now all that was in front of Killua were the empty shadows, laughing up at him. Mocking him.

Breath. Killua told himself. You have to breath.

But how could he when his throat was choking on his friends name?

"Gon..."

The whisper was snatched away by a chilling breeze and thrown into the black city streets.

Shock.

Killua stared. Waiting.

Why was he waiting?

And with that, he leaped up from the abandoned street and up into the glowing moonlight as pale as a forgotten ghost.

And this time, Killua wouldn't let time repeat.

* * *

Hoped you liked it! PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5

Please review!

* * *

"I can find you on my own, no matter how many years it takes me. But if I loose Killua now, I fear I'll never find him again."

And the boy had left.

No hesitation.

And Ging couldn't help but smile.

Of course, he wouldn't show up and save his son out of the blue. It was just convenient that he had been there and he was dying. Totally the natural thing to do.

At least, he kept telling himself that.

Jenkins was his target. He had stolen several of Ging's prided artifacts, and he was getting them back.

Or at least, he had been until had seen the two children.

He hadn't exactly realized that it was his son at first, but when he had, it was to late. He had already helped him, already saved his life.

And the boy had left.

Ging sat perched on the rotting beams of the warehouse, waiting, because he knew that his son was coming back. The cold air whispered in his ears, and night descended as fast as a hawk. Moonlight glimmered.

So when he saw Gon's friend approach the warehouse, alone, Ging couldn't help but cock an eyebrow.

The boy walked confidently towards him, swaying back and forth with an air of swagger. Ging smirked and then leaped from his hiding place and landed with a thud in front of the silver haired boy.

"Where's your friend?" he asked, taunting.

The boy in front of him looked at the ground, but slowly raised his head to glare at the man in front of him. Ging was slightly taken aback by his expression.

Killua's face was a mask of hatred, cold diamonds glinted lethally in his sapphire eyes. He bared his teeth, seething, strong...

And afraid.

Ging could read it in the tautness of the air, the way the boy clenched his fists. He was being consumed by hatred and fear.

"Gon was kidnapped by Jenkins."

The boy's voice was just as cold as his eyes, merciless and cruel.

Ging's haughty smile flew from his face.

Now that man had taken it to far. Another one of his prided possessions? Ging felt like killing the man, before reminding himself that he didn't own Gon.

Ging looked up from the boy before him.

"What's your name, boy?"

The boy stiffened at being called such, but answered, seething slightly.

"Killua"

"Alright Killua, your helping me get him back."

Killua stiffened once more, but Ging could tell by the way the boy's breathing suddenly relaxed.

He was relieved.

Ging sighed.

This was going to be a long haul.

* * *

Gon awoke to the misty breath of the morning breeze kissing his wounds.

The sunrise was blood red, beautiful and bright. Gon stared at it through half closed eyes.

His entire body ached. The world spinned for a moment, spiraling around him, but when he blinked he saw the same fiery sun.

The sun rose above an expanse of forest, glistening greens gilded gold by the growing day. Gon wondered where he was, but was engulfed a moment later when pain seared through him once more.

Jenkins. Jenkins had taken him. Where was Killua? Where was Ging?

Gon looked over, and realized that he was chained to a rocky ledge, hard iron binding him to grey stone. Both his arms were chained on either side of him, and his feet were chained together below him, so that he made a T. He strained at his bonds for a moment, before realizing it was useless. They were encircled by powerful Nen.

Gon shivered slightly as he recognized the Nen of Jenkins. It was heartless and burning, as if searching for his nightmares at that very moment.

Looking down, Gon saw that he was very high up.

_Very _high up.

He couldn't quite see the end of the jagged drop, it was lost in the fleeing darkness of the remaining night.

Gon continued to struggle against the nen chains, but to no avail. He stared out across the elegant scene before him, sighing.

And then he let out a huge yell, full of frustration and anguish and loneliness.

The harsh cry echoed, resounding, and a flock of birds flew up from the canopy of trees below him. The wind laughed in his face, jeering at him.

"Do you like the view?"

Gon froze in his struggling. That cold, smooth voice. He could recognize it anywhere.

"Jenkins."

Gon's eyes widened as he heard that same lifeless laughter fading away around him.

Pain stung at his eyes. Blood stained the stone around him. Gon's wounds were treated to the point of keeping him alive, but no extra care was made.

Gon grimaced.

The wind howled, yet he felt so alone. So abandoned.

Gon shivered, forlorn and cold.

Was Killua alright?

Gon faded into a twisted sleep, wishing to see his friend again.

* * *

Killua had expected things to be difficult with Ging.

But _this. _

He had never expected _this. _

Ging and Killua had been at each others throats the entire time. Ging had refused to call Killua his actual name, but instead choose from a small range of: boy, brat, and moron.

Killua had at first refused to respond to being called such names, and they would stand apart from each other, both crossing their arms, heads held high, pointedly ignoring the other.

But then Killua would be reminded the Gon might be dying, might be going through torture.

He might be wondering Killua was.

The thought made Killua's iron resistance crumble, and even though Ging still treated him like a piece of filth, he refused to give up.

He was saving Gon. End of story.

Ging didn't trust the little assassin very much at all, but at the same time would put the utmost faith in him. When Killua and Ging where first tracking Jenkin's whereabouts, they came upon information that led them to a forest.

In the forest was a small path. It meandered past large oak and sycamore trees that grew like pillars holding up the sky. At some points, the path was so narrow, it could easily have been mistaken for a long snake in the undergrowth. But no matter what, Ging and Killua where always at opposite ends, out of reach, but not quite out of sight.

When they came to a fork in the pathway, all hell broke loose.

Killua suggested that they go right, while Ging sniffed the air and said left. The two of them gave each other death glares that would have sent trained killers running for the hills.

Electricity glowed on Killua's palm. Ging slid deftly into a fighting stance. Dead silence ruled the forest, holding it's breath.

It was then that the nen came.

It was cold and bitter, haunting and filled with pain. Ging dodged the strange volley, trusting Killua to cover for him as he ran through the woods. All pretense of following the path disappeared.

Killua did cover for him, shooting electricity at shafts of the nen that streamed through the canopy of leaves and sizzled past his ears. It was then that Ging suddenly stopped.

He stood in front of a huge stone wall that jutted up towards the clouds so far that not even Killua's sharp eyes could perceive the summit. It was never ending, jagged and hard.

And Ging was already a hundred feet up the rough cliff.

Scrambling up to follow him, Killua managed to keep up and dodge lethal blades of nen at the same time. Whose nen was this anyway? It seemed oddly familiar, yet twisted and screaming with an anguish not yet named.

It was then that Killua realized that it was Gon's nen.

It was so deformed and misshapen that he could only just barely tell. It held not vicious intent, only pain, pain that swept Killua farther and farther up the cliff.

He was suddenly beside Ging. The man stared at him, surprised that the boy had caught up with him. Sensing that Killua was staring at him, he only scoffed.

"What is it, brat?"

"This is Gon's nen."

The older of the two didn't even pause in his climbing.

"It's being extracted from him and used against us."

Killua nearly stopped dead in his climbing, but sped up to keep up with his friend's father.

"Ex-extracted?" he stuttered. Killua swallowed.

"Yupe. I hear it's _really _painful."

Ging didn't even seem to care that it was his own son they were talking about. Killua fumed.

"How can you say that so nonchalantly!? He's your own son!"

"And I'm going to save him, aren't I? Just shut your mouth, boy. I'm getting my target no matter what."

At this Killua stopped climbing. Ging stopped too, surprised.

"ARE YOU SAYING THAT THIS ENTIRE TIME THE ONLY REASON WHY YOU EVER EVEN THOUGHT TWICE ABOUT GON WAS BECAUSE YOU WERE GOING AFTER THAT STUPID JENKINS IDIOT!?"

Killua couldn't control himself. He felt himself panting heavily. How could Gon's father be so...not like Gon!?

Ging shook his head and smiled, but the smile only widened when Killua realized it was too late.

He couldn't dodge the huge bolt of nen shooting towards him.

And suddenly it speared him, not piercing skin, but piercing the soul. The impact sent Killua careening off the side of the cliff.

_Pain. Pain. Pain. What is my name? Oh yeah, my name is Gon. Where is Killua? I want to see Killua. Is Killua alright? PAIN. PAIN. **PAIN. **Who...who is Killua?_

It took Killua a moment to realize these where Gon's thoughts. This is what Gon was going through.

And it was all his fault.

Killua was falling, falling, falling.

Down the side of the cliff.

Down to the pits of despair.

Down to a place where there was no Gon.

* * *

Gon woke up, shrieking.

Another nightmare.

This time, it had been Gon chained to the wall and he was forced to watch Killua go through the obstacle course. He had to watch Killua slowly die in his arms.

He had to experience what Killua had.

He knew that he was losing nen as soon as the sun had rose higher in the sky and was beating down on his neck. Sweat rolled down his nose and dripped down, down, down towards the darkness below.

But that wasn't the only thing that fell into the darkness.

His blood, endlessly dripping, falling.

His hopes, falling...

Killua...

He shouldn't come. If Killua comes, he'll fall into a trap. He'll die. Jenkin's will do something awful.

Gon did not want Killua to come.

And it was then that he noticed.

That it wasn't just sweat and blood and hopes that fell into the darkness.

It was also his nen.

The pain came, screaming, blinding, searing.

His body was on fire.

Gon shook, but his bonds prevented any real movement.

No.

NO.

Because at that moment, he knew what his nen was doing.

He sucked it in, holding it, clasping it fast.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

"No..." whispered Gon before he fell into another restless sleep where he was drowning in another nightmare.

* * *

Killua hung, dangling.

He blinked, until he realized that Ging was holding his arm, keeping him from plummeting to his death amid the forest trees far below.

Showers of Gon's nen flew by, but Killua only had eyes for Ging.

This man...

He hated him so much.

There was no denying it, no getting around or avoiding it.

But they would have to work together to save Gon.

Returning Killua to his place on the cliff, they both climbed with renewed vigor.

Working together.

Killua smiled.

They pulled each other up when the cliff was shattered by Gon's raining nen. Even Ging whistled when he saw its destructive power. It was nothing Killua hadn't seen before. Gon was amazing. That was a fact.

But nothing could possibly have prepared him for what he saw next.

Even Ging stopped and stared.

All eyes lay transfixed at the swirling scene above, and the next few moments happened so fast, Killua had a chance to blink.

First came the screams. The yells.

Gon was there, dangling and dripping with sweat and blood. So much blood.

His nen was slowly being sucked out of him. Killua could see it. It was curling through the air until it came as a big, swirling orb in front of the frail, injured boy.

Jenkins stood in mid air, controlling the flow of nen into the swirling vortex of nightmares.

Killa found himself launching off the cliff and at the man, murderous intent gleaming in his eyes.

The man deftly dodged, until Killua was launched into the mass of nightmares held together by Gon's nen.

Trapped in the spiraling darkness, Killua struggled, but could not break free. It was just then that he heard Jenkin's voice, cool and calm.

"This vortex needs a sacrifice. If not, then the surrounding area will explode. In other words, if you don't let yourself die, Gon will."

Killua immediately froze. So that's what this was about.

Turning around, he could still see a dazed Gon hanging from the cliff. Ging was breaking the chains that bound him. Killua silently approved.

Then Gon looked up and stared at him.

Those brown eyes, so soft, so full of pleas.

Begging for him to stop.

Then they hardened. Killua didn't know why. But it was then that he saw Gon's resolve.

It almost burned to see the fire in his best friend's eyes. Killua nearly flinched when the last bit of chain broke underneath Ging's strong grip. There was no questioning what was going to happen next.

Killua was being pulled, tugged away from the horrible nightmares that fed on his fear and rang, howling in his ears. He was pulled away as he had been drowning in that darkness.

And he closed his eyes, but peeled them open again in that last moment so that he could catch a glimpse of his savior.

It was a boy with raven hair and brown, hazel eyes.

And suddenly the boy's name was flying from Killua's lips because of course, _of course _he knew who this boy was.

He was his best friend. He was his most trusted companion. He was the person who sacrificed himself over and over and over again so that Killua could live.

"GON!"

And Gon was smiling, ever so slightly, as if he knew.

_As if he knew. _

And the darkness swallowed him even as it spat Killua out, and suddenly Killua was falling, falling, falling.

And no one was going to grab him this time.

Tears flew from his eyes, like twinkling stars forgotten by fallen angels.

As quiet as a ninja, the dread crept towards him.

Gon...

"WHAT THE HELL!"

Killua screamed at the ground rushing towards him. And in that split second he closed his eyes.

That idiot.

Saving his father and his friend both at the same time...

You weren't allowed to do that...

That only happens in the good movies...

But in the good movies the hero saves himself at the last second...

And Gon...

Killua let himself fall.

That was all he could do.

All he could do was fall.

* * *

Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter! I'm totally already working on chapter 6, so no worries. I'll update soon! Please review and tell me if you liked it!


	6. Chapter 6

PLEASE REVIEW!

* * *

Killua felt as if he had just relived his nightmare.

Closing his eyes tightly, he wished that the world would stop spinning, would stop doing these awful things to him.

Why?

And in that instant, there came the sudden movements around him, the scrambling, the rustling.

Peeling open his eyes, Killua looked around him. A waving canopy of trees waved above him, dappling sun light on his face. Through the leaves, the sky was pale blue, beautiful and cloudless.

Rolling his head over, Killua continued to study his surroundings.

"What the hell..." he whispered aloud.

Somebody was laying next to him, splayed out as if he had been thrown down from a great height and hadn't moved from his crumpled position. Killua focused on the bloody, green clothes, the matted black hair.

"Gon...?" Killua muttered.

He forced his arms to move. Grunting with effort, he threw his arm to touch the other's hand. He felt the battered skin.

It was real.

For a second, Killua doubted. This was an illusion. This was another nightmare spun by Jenkins.

Killua blinked.

But this didn't feel like the creeping fear that Jenkins soaked his dreams in. Neither did it feel like an illusion. Gon's jagged breathing was painful. _But it was really there. _

Killua fought for control of his body until he found himself on his knees before the injured body of his friend.

Smiling faintly, Killua remembered that the last time he had done this, he had been shoved aside.

When no rough hands pushed him out of the way, he began to chuckle, until he was laughing delusionally at himself in the quiet woods.

Gon stirred beneath him, until he saw hazel eyes staring up at him.

His laughing faded.

"It was Netero."

Killua didn't even turn around. The aura was sinister, unforgiving, and...friendly.

"Jenkins?"

The man who had caused them so much strife was suddenly kneeling on the other side of Gon, taking care of his wounds.

Killua didn't try to stop him. He was light headed and dizzy. Right then, he couldn't hurt a fly.

"This entire ordeal was a test step up by President Netero to test your mental and physical fortitude for a mission he wished you to go on. You have passed."

Killua nodded, as if this all made sense to him. Then his words actually sunk in.

"WHAT!?"

Jenkins looked over at the fuming Killua.

"HE MADE US DO ALL THAT FOR NOTHING!?"

Jenkins was as calm as ever. He ran a hand through his black hair, green eyes glinting.

"I just said it was a test. It wasn't for nothing."

Killua felt like killing somebody, but instead just slumped. Killua looked down at Gon, and his eyes softened, then hardened. They had made Gon go through all that for some stupid mission?

Gon had been staring at him the entire time, brown eyes wide. Gon's chapped lips parted, dust falling into his mouth. Coughing slightly, he finally managed to squeak out Killua's name.

"Don't talk." was all Killua could think of to say.

Gon smiled.

It was brilliant, that smile. So bright. So cheerful. So innocent.

Despite the horrible state he was in, he could still smile that priceless smile.

Killua felt the tear roll down his cheek, though he didn't know why it was there, and when he started crying so much. It seemed left and right this strange water was falling from his eyes.

Killua shook his head, and started helping Jenkins fix up his friend.

* * *

"Where did Ging go?"

"I don't know."

"Where did Jenkins go?"

"No clue."

"Where are we going right now?"

"Somewhere."

"What are we going to do when we get there?"

"Something."

Killua was reminded of when he had to carry Gon to the hospital. It was the same situation. Gon was too injured to walk, so Killua was carrying him. Piggy back style.

And Gon was forever talking in his ear. Going on and on.

But when his friend stopped shooting questions into his ear, Killua wasn't relieved. The comforting breath of his friend was warm on his neck.

But the silence was lonely.

Had Gon fallen asleep?

Killua smiled at the evening sun that set in a blaze of reds and yellows.

"Thanks Killua."

Of course he wasn't asleep.

Gon's voice was sincere, caring.

Killua smiled, content at last it seemed.

"For what?"

"For coming after me."

Killua looked at the bright, crimson sunset.

"Thanks Gon."

"For what?"

Killua turned his head to look at the boy on his back. It was a slightly awkward position, but it was worth seeing the honest, bright expression on Gon's face. It was brighter than the sunset.

"Thanks for being my friend."

* * *

Hey! Thanks! I really hoped you enjoyed this fanfic! REVIEW!


End file.
